Western Denmark: The incredible North Sea Beach

After returning last night from two days in Denmark, I just have to share a few photos from a trip we took yesterday morning to the country’s West Coast beaches. I was staying in two locations – Aarhus and Henne – as part of a press trip exploring the food scene outside of Copenhagen.

We were on our way back to Copenhagen airport after a night’s stay at Henne Kirkeby Kro – a rural hotel and restaurant where Michelin-starred winning chef Paul Cunningham is at the helm – and we decided to make a quick stop on the coast at the North Sea Beach.

Knowing little about Denmark’s West Coast, I didn’t know what to expect. What I’d seen up until this point was the beautifully still Filso lake where we took a walking tour the night before. But as we drove through rugged countryside where trees were slightly bent by the wind and the land had an untouched and wild appearance, I wasn’t prepared for these breath-taking views.

You possibly can’t appreciate this in the pictures, but the sand was dazzling white in the sun. Some of the sand was still frozen solid from the night’s frost but the closer to the water we got, the more I felt my feet sinking into this amazingly soft and pristine sand.

I love the feeling when you find a place like this that is so untouched and open – it was an amazing bit of respite from everyday life in London where you fight just to have a bit of space to yourself. And you can just imagine it during the summer when the tourists flock here so I felt privileged to visit during such a quiet time. A 20 minute walk just didn’t seem suffice, but it was enough to get a taste of how special this wilder and less populated area of Denmark is.

Apparently a bit further up the coast is an area that’s been dubbed ‘Cold Hawaii’ – where big rolling waves have allowed it to become a surfer’s mecca.

This is also the true test of a hardened surfer. Being the North Sea, it has more than a bit of a nip, even during the warmer summer months. However enticing it looked yesterday, I couldn’t help think rather them than me.

More on Denmark to come – this is just a taster!

Have you been to this area of Denmark and if so, do you have tips on where to go if I get to return? Let me know!